Question for all Mommy's!?

around here, it is around 60 a week... it is normal to bring your child along or to have the other come to your house...

I think it would help more to know your general area. I live in eastern CT and would LOVE to find a daycare that only charged $2.50 an hour! The closest we can get here is the after-school recreation program, which charges $6 for the 2 hours (per child).

I used to babysit in high school (which was only a few years ago...I'm 22 now), and was paid $8 an hour to watch 2 children for a few hours after school. And this summer I babysat another kid for about $4-5 per hour during the day. But the former family earned more money, while the latter was a former co-worker (bartender/waitress on the day shift) who definitely didn't make quite as much. I'm pretty sure min wage was $6/hr here when I earned $8 in high school.

The minimum wage here is $7.40/hr, but many jobs pay more (factory jobs $13-14/hr, for example) so it will really depend on your particular area and whether you live in a city or rural town. I definitely wouldn't ask for more than minimum wage since people on the lower income end will be looking to take home a decent profit from their job (otherwise, what's the point of hiring a babysitter to work?)

I'd recommend joining a Yahoo group in your local area (sometimes called "cafes") and survey people on what the going rate is. For example, here we have a SECT-SWRI cafe (for southeast Connecticut and southwest Rhode Island), and to find it I just typed in "cafe CT" in the search bar for Yahoo groups. I think you'll find a much more accurate estimate for babysitting rates there!

I probably wouldn't reply to a craigslist ad for childcare unless they had excellent references and qualifications (and an in-home interview would be important!). I would only hire someone if they were recommended by people I know, and would probably be looking for a licensed daycare (run by a SAHM or otherwise) for regular sitting during work hours. In fact, I'd prefer a SAHM who has a very small, in-home daycare where the kids are getting lots of personal attention to a large facility that is run like a classroom.

I would say that depending on how many children you watch in the home and how long. If it is at their house and you are using their food (bringing your own for you and son) $10-$20 per day per child. This all depends on how much they expect; i.e. meals prepared, bath, light clean up, etc. Also consider what times you are looking for. Evening babysitting is always a little more and if you bring the child(ren) into your home it is a little extra, but may be easier and make the parents feels easier without a "stranger" in their home. I would say if you watch child(ren) in your home and provide light meal, you could charge $25 per day.

My daycare provider charges $900 a month, which is a lot for me to pay, but worth it (he goes to her four days a week from 8:30 to 4:30). One of her daughters is the same age as my son and her oldest is in grade one. Her youngest daughter and my son are best friends and have been together since they were both one years old (now four). She makes lunch for them every day as well, hot lunches with organic food only. She's also fantastic in other ways - takes them outside to the community centre or park every morning and every afternoon. So although it's expensive, I'm happy to pay it because I know she takes such good care of my son and he loves her a lot - so it's a win-win situation for us.

I'm in a government program that pays for my childcare and they have a limit of about $160 a week for my son who's 5

my son is almost 4, his daycare/full day preschool is about $31 a day. My newborn daughter is about to go to a babysitter who charges $25 a day.

my babysitter charges $25 a day (no matter how long per day) other's i'd checked out before choosing her, ranged from $20/day to $30/day, some charged weekly, $100/week to $150/week.

At my daycare we charge 2.50 an hour, per child. And only when the child is here. If your kid is home sick why pay for the daycare if they are not there, right?